Country Programme: Ethiopia

Developing a research programme to inform and support government energy reforms

Ethiopia is at a momentous economic transformation and social development crossroads. Widening energy access and securing reliable energy services is fundamental to the Government of Ethiopia’s Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP II) to transform the country into a major manufacturing hub, and to address some of the intractable development and poverty challenges the country faces.

Ethiopia faces energy challenges on four fronts:

1. Meeting the energy needs of large numbers of people who lack access to modern energy carriers such as electricity.

2. Meeting the energy requirements of a fast-growing economy while delivering power to neighbouring countries.

3. Balancing on-grid and off-grid electricity for a variety of human settlement patterns.

4. Exploring an array of financing, regulatory and institutional modalities for a wide-range of energy situations.

Underpinning these is the pursuit of a carbon neutral pathway to mitigate the threat of climate change, which is encapsulated in the country’s vision of sustainable and resilient development.

EEG has engaged widely with key government officials, donors and other energy stakeholders through scoping visits and funding delegates from the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Electricity (MoWIE), Ethiopian Electricity Agency, and the Public Private Partnership Unit in the Ministry of Finance & Economic Development to attend an energy financing course in March 2018.

Through these consultations proposed activities for a country programme were identified, and following a Call for Applications in 2018, a range of research projects began in early 2019. Visit the EEG projects page for updates.